MTV’s Original VJs Sign Deal to Create an ‘Uncensored’ Oral History

Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced Thursday that it had signed with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn for an “uncensored” oral history of the music channel launched in 1981. The book is currently untitled and no release date had been set. A fifth veejay, J.J. Jackson, died in 2004.

According to Atria, the veejays will talk about everything from partying with Van Halen to a disastrous “Paint the Mutha Pink” contest with “Pink Houses” singer John Cougar Mellencamp. The veejays also participated in an MTV oral history published last year, but Atria spokesman Paul Olsewski said Thursday that they have saved their “best stories” for their own book.